Meet the speakers

This year the speakers for World Mission Challenge will emphasize the importance of partnership.

It’s more than a theme; it’s essential and integral to the way Presbyterians do mission.

In keeping with this emphasis, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and World Mission Challenge are working together so that international church partners can participate as mission speakers. They will be accompanied by PC(USA) mission workers, and each will share their witness of how God works in the world.

The list of speakers does not include several speakers who prefer not to have their names and photographs on the Internet.

The Rev. Mark Adams

I serve as a mission co-worker with Presbyterian Border Ministries and coordinate the binational ministry Frontera de Cristo.

When I first arrived on the border over 10 years ago, before Spanish was my prayer language, Jesus Gallegos, my colleague in ministry, would invite me to co-celebrate at the Lord’s Table. As I was uncomfortable praying in Spanish, I would choose to do the invitation to the table and the charge to the congregation after communion, leaving the prayers for Jesus Gallegos.

After a year of this, a sister in the congregation (who happens to now be my wife) told me how much she appreciated my leadership, but that it would be better for me to say “vengan a la mesa” (come to the table) instead of “vengen a la mesa” (get revenge at the table). After my embarrassment subsided she added that it would be best not to say “vayanse” which, in combination with the passion of the charge to the congregation, conveyed the sense of “get the hell out of here.”

Mission service, it appears, offers many lessons in humility.

View a video of Mark Adams

Dr. Bernard Adeney-Risakotta

When people in Indonesia ask me where I’m from, I pause and answer, “From America.” But actually it is a complicated question for me.

My mother is American, my father was British and I was born in China. Growing up in Asia, I was educated in America, Europe and Asia. But my heart belongs to Indonesia.

When I married Farsijana I was blessed with an Indonesian name. We both added each other’s name to our own: Adeney-Risakotta. Perhaps I am so drawn to Indonesia because it is as mixed and diverse as my own soul. Spreading out wider than the United States, with 17,000 islands, it has hundreds of languages and ethnic groups that have been influenced by many different cultures and religions. There is a rich mix of Javanese, Moluccan, Papuan, Batak, Acehnese, Balinese and more. There is also a tremendous mixture of ancient cultural influences from India, China, Arabia, Portugal, Spain, Holland, England, Japan, Egypt and the United States.

In this, the largest Muslim nation in the world, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and many local religions live peaceably. When someone asks why I love Indonesia I am unsure how to answer so I usually say that I love the many different, funny, colorful hats people wear. The culture here is so rich, exuberant and creative, yet at the same time subtle, deep, simple, complex and troubled. Again, a bit like my own heart.

In Indonesia, I’m honored to teach both Muslim and Christian graduate students at Duta Wacana Christian University in Yogyakarta. From my students I learn new ways of seeing and understanding the world. With these diverse students I share my faith in the deep love of God in Christ, who brings reconciliation to all kinds of different people.

Dr. Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta

As a mission co-worker for the PC(USA) I serve as a senior researcher for Duta Wacana Christian University in Indonesia. My husband Bernie, also a mission co-worker, and I enjoy seeing our home used as a gathering place for both Muslims and Christians. This is a gift we can offer to our community.

I was born in the Moluccan Islands, also known as the “Spice Islands.” Christopher Columbus was searching for a route to these islands when he discovered America. Friends call me “Nona” which literally means “young unmarried woman” or “miss.” But in the Moluccan Islands “Nona” is a popular affectionate name and even grandmothers might be called “Grandma Nona.”

I have often found myself taking “the road less traveled.” As a young person, I was accepted into a prestigious university to study mathematics. Instead, I decided on seminary to learn theology and to devote my life to God. Following seminary, I went to a remote island to do community development work with women and farmers. Since then I have earned an advanced degree in anthropology. In my heart and daily practice I am still a community activist, continuing to work with marginalized groups.

As a mission co-worker for the PC(USA), I work with Christians and Muslims in Yogyakarta at the invitation of Duta Wacana Christian University. I’m grateful to serve in many ways: as a researcher, community activist, anthropologist, teacher, writer and theologian. I especially enjoy empowering women and children to work for peace.

The Rev. Doug Baker

Since 1979 I have served in Northern Ireland. Currently I am the regional liason for Ireland and the United Kingdom. With my wife, Elaine, my ministry serves the cause of peacemaking and reconciliation.

I like to tell the story of a boy who, many years ago, approached me at a youth club in Belfast.  "Hey mister - you from America? Do you know my uncle — he lives around the corner from a grocery shop."   The boy’s concept of the United States was so vague that he assumed it is the kind of place where that would be enough information for me to know who he was talking about. 

One of the things I have come to love about Northern Ireland is that this is a small society. My job involves a lot of moving around in a fairly small fishbowl. It means I get to know an incredible network of folk from very diverse backgrounds relatively quickly. However, in this historically divided society most people still do not feel they can swim freely in all parts of the bowl. Fear and prejudice restrict movement — and restrict contact with those who are different. 

In my reconciliation work I have found some of my greatest joys in arranging opportunities for others to go some place they normally would not go, meet someone they would normally not meet - and discover it is ok to do so.

Jeff Boyd

Jeff has been under appointment as a PC(USA) mission co-worker since 1990. With his wife Christi, Jeff has served in Tanzania (1990-1995), Democratic Republic of Congo (1995-1999), and since 1999 in Cameroon.

Jeff currently serves as the PC(USA)’s liaison for Central Africa. In this role, he facilitates PC(USA) relationships with partner churches and institutions in Cameroon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. He also provides support for PC(USA) mission personnel and is a resource for U.S. congregations who are in a relationship with one of our partners in the region. Jeff's special focus is on the educational work of our partners.

Nancy Collins

It is 5:45 a.m. As I roll out of bed, my 14-year-old son, Charles, is asleep in the next room. Within minutes I am out the front door of my apartment building. 6 a.m. is the only time I have for meditation and exercise. The air is still cool. Feral cats skitter out of trash dumpsters. Bowabs wipe dust from cars, and zabaleen pick up recyclable garbage.

I hear Islamic prayers broadcast on the radio. The bowab of a nearby building is listening as he works. The calls of thousands of sparrows in brilliant orange-capped flame trees compete with the Islamic prayers. As I pass the local Islamic Language School I find it empty and quiet. 

I come to a garden, a delight in this country where arable land is limited and greenery sparse. There is little rain. All the water comes from the Nile. Today the pink and white hollyhocks are gone. There is a rustle of palm fronds falling. The turbaned gardener is in a palm tree. “Where are the hollyhocks?” “They’ll return next year, ensha’alla,” he replies.

Before my apartment, a vendor is serving fuul — cooked fava beans — to early risers. On the corner, the vegetable vendor is arranging fresh, delicious-looking vegetables. The colors and textures attract the eye.

Back in my apartment I kick off my sneakers and wake Charles to dress in time for his 7:10 a.m. school bus. My minutes of solitude and peace are over. Soon I will be in the crazy Cairo traffic, driving to my hectic workplace.

I am grateful for the moments to reflect on God’s goodness and love in sending me to this place. Egypt can be aggravating and exhausting but it has claimed my heart. Who would have expected a farm girl from Iowa to end up in such a place?! 

I began service as a mission co-worker in 1998. I now live in Cairo, Egypt, where I work in the International Relations Department of the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services. I also facilitate Egypt’s Joining Hands Against Hunger group.

Frank Dimmock has been a mission worker since June 1, 1985. He has had various positions in health-related work in Africa since then. His appointment, which began in August 2007, is to Lesotho, where he serves as PC(USA)'s Africa Health Liaison. Frank works with partner churches and ecumenical agencies to develop programs for children. In addition, he coordinates the Christian Health Associations of Africa and is part-time advisor to the Christian Health Association of Lesotho. His work requires him to travel frequently to Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, South Africa, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Susie Frerichs

Over the years many people have expressed admiration for what I do and sacrifices I have made to serve in Mexico. I have had to leave my family, missing out on funerals, births, birthdays. The pain of those losses is real but I like to tell people that when I live in Christ, what he gives far exceeds anything I might feel I’ve lost in the process.

One of my greatest joys as a mission worker is the extended family I have inherited. All over the US and Mexico, I have friends and brothers and sisters in faith who have walked with me in good times and bad. Some have opened their homes and allowed me to make them my own. Others have rubbed my back and held the bucket when I’ve been ill. They have stood with me in hospitals, driven me to airports, and engaged in thoughtful discussions on faith.

All of this has sustained me over the years, a gift from God. For this reason, when folks express their admiration at what I have given up, I can only speak to the truth of all that I have received: the love of Jesus Christ through the faithful, wherever I go. I am loved. What more could I want or need?

My assignment as an itinerant preacher and teacher in the rural, mountainous area of the Presbytery of the Huastecas of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico is a gift. In this ministry I assist the presbytery’s 13 churches in whatever way I am asked. I coordinate mission partnerships between the presbytery and congregations in both the US and in other parts of Mexico. I also support women’s and youth groups, and teach courses at the presbytery’s Bible institute.

View a video of Susie Frerichs

The Rev. Leith Fujii

I am serving as a partner to the Church of Christ in Thailand. I teach English and Evangelism at the Bangkok School of Theology and work with local congregations through the ministry of the Word and Sacrament.

Recently I asked some students at the BST, “Who is a missionary?” I had prepared a number of photos for them to look over and choose from. Some were from the distant past, others from the PC(USA) website. They were both traditional and non-traditional missionary types. I even threw in a red herring: Teddy Roosevelt dressed in African safari garb. A few students even voted for him!

So, who is a missionary? I find that I must ask myself this question. In church circles it can be endearing to be called a missionary. But honestly, I often find myself chafing  at the title. It has nothing to do with the work I’ve been called to do. In a similar way, I don’t like being called a “full-time minister.” These labels can distort an important truth: we are all called to be great co-missionaries! I, and the rest of our mission co-workers, aren’t uniquely called to obey Christ’s Great Commission. I may have been called to serve in this unique way but every Christian is rightly a great co-missionary and full-time minister.

No, I’m not so unique or special. I’ve simply been richly blessed to live and serve among some of the “warmest” (in terms of climate, chilies, and friendliness) people on earth. Khopkhun Phrajaow! (Thanks be to God!)

Carol Fujii

I’m not sure if being a missionary allows me to be a “better me” but living and serving overseas has helped me grow in humility and in grace toward others and myself.

It is humbling to adjust, work and relate in a different culture. I find I must accept the limitations of my abilities to communicate in this five-tonal language. I can feel a bit uneasy after saying, “ma tee nee” and unsure if I said, “Come here, a dog or horse is here.”

It is humbling to realize that no matter how hard I try to fit in and relate, I will always be a foreigner. It is humbling to not demand “justice” but to instead learn to cooperate with others whether it be yielding to oncoming traffic or reaching consensus in decision-making.

I am amazed by God’s grace in this call to missionary service. Teaching English to the incoming students at Bangkok School of Theology, I am able to be of service to God. During these ten years in Thailand, God has been teaching me about being gracious toward myself. Jesus continues to bring healing so that I can view myself through God’s eyes of loving acceptance.  And, in turn, God’s grace toward me has freed me to show that love toward others whether it be seminary students preparing for ministry or women at risk who are hungry for the love and acceptance that only Jesus can give.

Mark Hare

A surprise to me is that, after 11 years as a mission co-worker, I still find myself constantly embarrassed. Most often these times of embarrassment are caused by language missteps.

All languages, but especially Haitian Creole, have a multitude of words that, when put in the wrong place at the wrong time, change the meaning of a sentence entirely. Or confuse me as to the meaning a speaker is trying to convey.

The Haitian word “ve” has at least six meanings, including ones as diverse as “mirror” and “earthworm.”  This language issue tends to end up with people either laughing with me or at me. I find that beyond the embarrassment, this laughter has benefits.

It helps me, and the Haitian farmers and families with whom I work, to slip between the barriers that culture and language can create. The sense of humor we have about these cultural and language “bloopers” enable us to feel that we are, indeed, one human family.

These language blunders also offer me an opportunity to learn. The Haitians with whom I live and work are the ones helping me to become more competent, not just in language, but in all aspects of our life and work together, especially in the agricultural techniques we use.

What amazes me most about my work in Haiti is that these weaknesses become my greatest strengths, allowing me to connect with people and learn from others. So it is with the grace of God.

Sarah Henken

Sarah Henken is the current coordinator of the Colombia Accompaniment Program.  Her experience with Colombia began with her first trip as an accompanier in May of 2006, and she has made three visits since then, including as a translator/interpreter for the Chicago Presbytery delegation to the Presbyterian Church of Colombia’s 150th anniversary celebration in August 2006.

Originally from Los Angeles, Sarah lived in Uruguay and Argentina as a PC(USA) mission volunteer prior to beginning seminary and becoming involved in the Colombia Accompaniment Program.  Sarah is a candidate for ordination from San Fernando Presbytery and is a graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary.

The Rev. Joseph Kang

Serving in Russia since  2000, I have been a mission co-worker for 19 years. When I was appointed I never dreamed I would retire as a missionary. But here I am, teaching at the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia.

When my wife and I were first appointed to the field, we were sent to Zomba Theological College in Malawi, Africa. Finding ourselves living in very poor conditions, we wondered if we could stay there for even three months. Yet now we have gone ten years with excitement, joy, thanksgiving and challenges.

Russia was never a possibility as a mission field for us but we find ourselves passing another decade of ministry in this country.

All of these years have taught me the ways God leads us in steadfast love. My work has been teaching and training young men and women for future ministry, it has been more of a learning experience for myself than for others. The years have taught me that fulfillment comes in the relationships we build, not in the material wealth we gain.

Tracey King

I’m often asked what I miss most about living in another country. I do miss some basic luxuries such as pressurized hot water showers and reliable electricity. My parents often have fresh sushi waiting for me when I visit because they know I can’t get that favorite food in Nicaragua. Of course I miss seeing my family regularly, too.

Although I miss these things, I know that my life has been incredibly enriched by coming here. Life here is, in some ways, harder, more raw, less packaged, it also seems at times more real. I see poverty when I step out my front door and this helps me to keep social justice issues at the forefront. My faith forces me to acknowledge and struggle with these realities of injustice. For that, I am grateful.

Jesus clearly commands us to reach out to the “least of these.” He sought them out, ate with them, treated them with dignity and invited them into community. It may sound simple but can sometimes get complicated. I came to Nicaragua as a missionary because I want to work toward the relief of poverty and marginalization.

Currently I serve as regional liaison to Central America for the PC(USA). In this work I seek to create better communication between the World Mission offices, mission personnel, partner churches and PC(USA) congregations interested in Central America. Areas of special focus are programs of reconciliation and peacemaking. In addition to working and living in Nicaragua, I also travel to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The Rev. Jed Koball

Nature was calling.  I made my way across the barren field to the communal latrine. I’m a big guy, unlike most of the people in Peru where I serve. I could feel the eyes of curious onlookers following me as I gingerly stepped inside the structure made of tree limbs for posts, burlap walls and a hole in the cement slab floor. The sun was bright over my head, a breeze ruffled the walls, I heard the giggles of children not far from where I stood. Afterward, as I returned to the others I saw that the children were laughing harder and pointing their fingers at me. Glancing back at the latrine, I saw the back wall had come loose from the tree limb and was flapping in the breeze.  Then the angelic voice of the youngest child cried, “And he’s white ALL over!”

While this is a humorous story from my time serving in Peru, it is truly God who has called me here. January 2009 began my term of service as the companionship facilitator for the Joining Hands network in Peru.  “Joining Hands” is a program of the Presbyterian Hunger Program which fights the root causes of hunger by sparking the formation of networks in developing countries.

Dr. Karla Koll

Presently a professor of history, mission and religions at the Latin American Biblical Seminary in San Jose, Costa Rica, I teach in Guatemala. I first traveled to the Seminary as a student. I had been working with Central American refugees in 1984 and I wanted to learn from people in the region about their theological reflections as they struggled for peace and justice.

At that time I believed the era of the foreign mission worker was over. After all, Protestant churches in Latin America were vibrant and growing.
While a student at Latin American Biblical Seminary I had a conversation with Saul Trinidad, the academic dean. “Karla,” he said to me, “we Latin Americans know that the gringos are going to keep coming to our region. We can’t stop them. All that we, as Latin American church leaders, are asking is to be able to choose who comes. And we want people like you.”
That conversation changed my understanding of my own vocation. I realized that there was still a need for the gifts of foreign workers in the church in Latin America in a mutual calling to the service of Jesus Christ. The strong emphasis that Presbyterians place on education is a gift we offer the world.

I returned to Central America in 1986 and have been in mission to the region ever since. Today, it is a privilege for me to continue to build bridges between Christians from differing contexts. And I am grateful to serve on the faculty of the Latin American Biblical University and the Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America (CEDEPCA).

The Rev. Choon Lim and Yen Hee Lim

Each year of the Hualien Aboriginal Campus Ministry (HACM) we choose a theme. HACM is the Presbyterian Church’s college ministry to aboriginals in Taiwan. This year’s theme of “Catch the Fire!” grew out of thoughts of the mission workers who lived and worked with this ministry in the past.

The Rev. Bob Montgomery designed the house where the ministry is located and lived here, beginning in 1963. In 2008 he visited us here and told the story of the house.

Another former mission worker was the Rev. Don McCall. While still in the United States we met Don, who encouraged us to come to Taiwan and work with the students here. He said to us, “I give you my mission torch. Please go to Taiwan and serve the people.” It was through that interaction that the Holy Spirit moved us to come to Taiwan.

As we worked with the HACM, the number of students increased. We needed more space for our work so moved to this house as our new mission center. We found that the electric bill was still in Don’s name and the water bill still in Bob’s. They left Taiwan but their spirit of service remains to guide and empower us to do God’s work. The mission torch has passed to us and so our theme is “Catch the Fire!”

The Rev. Patricia Lloyd-Sidle

My ministry is to help deepen “the ties that bind” the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to church communities in the Caribbean, especially Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. God has called me to nurture friendships across geographical and cultural borders. This call has taken me to mission service in Uruguay and to presbytery and General Assembly staff positions. I currently serve as the regional liaison for the Caribbean and the Caribbean-North American Council for Mission (CANACOM).

Pix Mahler, after 14 years as a Hunger Action Enabler for the Presbytery of the Peaks, was appointed regional liaison for Haiti. Pix promotes and interprets the PC(USA)’s partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, the PC(USA)’s partner in the country.

Roger Marriott

“How many souls have you saved?” the church member asked me, after Gloria and I had finished a presentation about Guatemala at this US congregation. How to answer? I didn’t want to appear flip or insensitive to the genuine concern expressed by the question. I offered that I probably hadn’t saved any, that that is up to God but hoped our efforts are somehow helpful to the work of the kingdom.

I was once in a village and one of the villagers, in order to show appreciation for the visit, offered me the gift of a live chicken. The gracious thing to do was to accept it but I didn’t know what to do with a live chicken, or how to hold it or travel with it. I thanked him and told him I couldn’t take it, that he probably had more need for it. My response sprang from my own discomfort and lack of sensitivity to the needs of others to give regardless of their circumstances.

As I look back on these events, they remind me that Gloria and I would never have thought that we would leave our business, our daughters or the suburbs of Nashville to work with remote indigenous people in Guatemala. But we have been invigorated, our world has expanded, and we have today a deeper understanding that God does, indeed, work in mysterious ways. We still look forward to the challenge and blessing that life in Guatemala hold.

View a video of Roger Marriott

The Rev. Dr. Paul Matheny

Appointed in January 2001, I currently teach Christian theology and the philosophy of religion at Union Theological Seminary in Dasmariñas, the Philippines. I also help coordinate the Ph.D. program at the seminary.
Manila is a loud and traffic plagued city, with people walking and sleeping everywhere. Some people love the energy and the business of the metropolitan area. I am not one of them.

When I return to our home in the Philippines after traveling, I can only tolerate the rush of Manila until I see the signs of the Seminary campus in Dasma. Mango, banana and coconut trees move smoothly in the cool breeze and I find that I can breath again.

If it is daytime, some of our students will be working in the fields or walking about enjoying the fresh air and the soft shrill of birds. As soon as I arrive students come by to welcome me home.

I long for the campus while away and I find that I am not alone in this. Many pastors and alumni feel the same way, drawn back to the soothing surroundings here. I feel tremendously fortunate to be a part of the Seminary and the people here.

The Rev. Bill and Ann Moore

I (Bill) serve as an organizing pastor for a new church development in Kobe, Japan, working in partnership with the Reformed Church of Japan.

Japan has a reputation as the land of the high-tech but this can, at times, prove challenging.

Nowhere is this penchant for the high-tech in greater evidence than in Japanese toilets. When a user approaches a toilet the lid automatically pops open and the seat warms. Lovely as that is, confusion comes in knowing what to do after one has accomplished the business at hand.

A control panel is covered with buttons, each inscribed with a cryptic symbol. One may choose to power wash one’s posterior lightly or heavily, with cold or hot, a massaging pulse or a continuous spray. There are buttons to activate a dryer, a deodorizer and, of course, the flush.

The first time I used one of these toilets I was in the home of a local pastor. I had recently arrived in Japan, didn’t understand the language but was; nevertheless, game to give it a try.

I was able to go through the process as far as the power wash but couldn’t figure out how to turn off the spray. I pushed any and all buttons to no avail. Fearing I may cause a flood I called out one of the few Japanese phrases in my repertoire: “tasukete kudasai” (please help me), and my host rushed in to save the day.

Naturally, I was blushing deeply and to this day, whenever I meet this pastor I relive my disastrous encounter with high-tech Japan with a twinge of embarrassment. Mission service is not as straightforward as one might imagine.

Ann Moore
A partner in ministry at a new church development for the Reformed Church of Japan, I live and work in Kobe.

I enjoy working with the children of our church. Unlike adults, children are much more in touch with their feelings and express them without hesitation.

During Sunday worship the young children gather together and quietly pass the time folding small squares of paper into the beautiful shapes of birds, flowers and trees. They enjoy this creative art, called origami, and like to write small notes on them to give away. I have a wonderful collection of origami with messages written on them like “Thank you Ann Sensei (teacher)” and “You are my friend.”

I keep these small gifts of the heart in a box that is getting full of these expressions of love and encouragement. Every now and then I take them out to have a look and the expressions of love fill me with joy. This origami collection is one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.

Dr. Barbara Nagy

A pediatrician assigned to work at Nkhoma Hospital in Malawi, I sensed a call to mission work from an early age. I have lived out that calling in Congo and Malawi.
Because of this early calling to missions, I have always loved the Proverb that says, "Where there is no vision the people perish." 

Good at apologizing, I find the skill useful as I go about my life of service in another culture, at times making cultural gaffes. I find my African friends and colleagues infinitely gracious. This community is willing to laugh, cry and pray with me as we go about our work, meeting the crises and challenges that come our way.

I recently passed the five-year mark in Malawi and remember those first glimpses of a green carpet landscape that appeared as the plane descended over the central part of the country.  Malawi has grown more beautiful with the passing time because within the green are many people for whom it is home. We have certainly learned to be to be global citizens and I look at things differently in the United States now.  I find myself wrestling with scriptures like "If anyone has material goods and sees his brother in need yet does not pity him, how is the love of God in him?" while knowing that simply giving people things is usually not the answer.  

Things I love about Malawi include: coffee growing in my yard, which I harvest, roast, name (Nkhoma Blend?) and drink; bush babies in the bedroom, monkeys in the mango trees; rain pelting down so hard it deafens all other sound; the Milky Way shining in the sky at night, and stars truly too numerous to be counted; patients singing in the Antenatal and Under Five's Clinics (Malawi's way of teaching health messages); Chichewa choruses in church, complete with home made instruments; I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to be a link between the PC(USA) and the church in Malawi.

The Rev. Mary Nebelsick and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Paul Matheny, have served in the Philippines since January 2001 at Union Theological Seminary in Dasmariñas, near the capital city of Manila. Mary teaches biblical studies, especially the Old Testament. Both Mary and Paul are involved in the program of the seminary to develop future leaders in theological education. Mary coordinates the M.Theol. program offered at UTS.

Rev. Doug Orbaker

For over a year my wife, Penn Garvin, and I talked about retirement at the end of our current term serving in Nicaragua. At 65, retirement seemed the sensible thing to do. But then came the time to actually check the box on the Evaluation Form that said "Retirement" and I found that I just couldn’t do it. Instead, I applied for another three-year term of service.

Since 2004, I have served as Delegations Coordinator for the Council of Evangelical Churches (CEPAD).  I have grown to love both the people and the communities with which I work. As CEPAD begins work in many new communities this year I am looking forward to meeting many new friends who are working to raise the standard of their communities. 

I must admit that there are times when I find myself frustrated by the slow pace of change in Nicaragua but then I go into a rural community and get to know people who are continuing to work with great faith and hope despite setbacks. And I have the joy of seeing results: improvements to water systems, roads, housing, agricultural techniques and schools.

During my tenure in Nicaragua, I have had the opportunity to participate in many things I wouldn’t have experienced in the US.  I have helped to build new-style coffee processing systems that don't pollute the streams, to install hydroelectric systems and water systems, to build houses and medical clinics, and to clear land for a new cemetery.  And in the process I have laughed and cried with the people of Nicaragua and the many wonderful dedicated people who come to Nicaragua each year. With such wonderful opportunities as this, how could I retire?

View a video of Doug Orbaker

Burkhard Paetzold 

A man from a PC(USA) congregation who once traveled with me in Hungary called me “my dear communist friend.” And I want to say in return, “my dear capitalist friends,” not all the people in the former communist bloc were communists the way the Stalinist leaders wanted it. Hundreds of thousands of us were Christians, in East Germany, where I am from, and in Poland or in Hungary.

Born on the other side of the Iron Curtain and raised in East Germany, I do have personal stories about the rise and fall of the wall, from within.

Today I serve as a facilitator of PC(USA) work with the Roma people in Central and Eastern Europe. In partnership with my own church, the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, I work with these people, formerly known as “gypsies.” Those of us who are Christians find that the Bible talks not only about individual salvation but also about healing of societies, community growth, self-development, social responsibility and sustainability. It is with a great sense of call that I participate in these ministries.

The son of Presbyterian mission workers to the Philippines, Carlton “Cobbie” Palm has been under appointment since 1989. He is director of spiritual formation at the Divinity School at Silliman University, an institution founded by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1901 that has evolved into a premier academic institution under the auspices of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP). Cobbie designs and facilitates spiritual retreats and workshops, which are incorporated into each class, the faculty and the whole seminary community.

Gary Payton

This year marks the 10th anniversary of my “first steps” in Russia. Like thousands before me, I disembarked in Moscow from a trans-Atlantic flight in the afternoon and by early evening I was stepping onto Red Square to gaze upon the Kremlin walls, Lenin’s tomb, and St. Basil’s cathedral. That day, a decade ago, as I paced across the cobblestones, the images of the Cold War’s marching troops, missile carriers and political leaders raced through my mind. Now, after seemingly countless visits, I know the streets of central Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as I know my hometown. Now I count hundreds of Christians as friends in Russia and in Belarus, Ukraine and Poland.

My entire adult life has been given over to things Russian. The most striking thing I have learned through the years? Not that “they” are just like “us.” Rather, that their unique history has shaped them in profound ways. Yes, they love their families, find meaning in work and strive for a better day, just as we do. But, at the core, cultural and historical forces, which are vastly different, have shaped us. A thousand years of Orthodoxy brings a different perspective to faith. Centuries of harsh, autocratic rule by Mongols, Tsars, and communists have produced a fundamentally different outlook on the role of government. And the impact and horrors of World War II resonates for many Russians as if it ended yesterday.

We remain profoundly different people, yet it remains a joy to discover spiritual connections where we recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Since 2000 I have served as regional liaison to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland. I work closely with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of the Russian Federation, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and other States, the Reformed Church in Carpath-Ukraine and the Evangelical Reformed Church in Poland.

Dr. Ingrid Reneau

In 2007 I was called to serve as education officer in Sudan for the PC(USA). I work alongside the Presbyterian Church of Sudan and the Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church and the Association of Christian Resource Organizations Serving Sudan. My work is to expand the church sponsored school system and strengthen it’s teaching methodologies. I offer here a “picture” of life in Sudan.

Returning home from worship at the Evangelical Church of Sudan cathedral, I saw four little girls ahead of me. Stair-stepped in size and ages, possibly 7, 6, 5, and 4 years old, they held hands, the eldest holding the hand of the smallest. The rapid pace at which they walked proved exhausting for the smallest, who kept drifting backwards toward me. Delicately small, the little, laced-up, high-top, black boots she wore appeared cumbersome on her thin little legs.

The long sleeved ... blue and white pinafore dress swallowed her frame, and she sweated, struggling to keep pace. The eldest spoke roughly to her, dragging her back in line with the others until she let go again, drifting backwards. Finally, I spoke to the eldest, “You see, she’s too small to keep up with you; here, let her walk with me,” as I reached out my hand.

We walked that way down the road: my hand stretched to take hers; she glanced off and on at my hand and back to her older sister, not taking my hand even as she walked beside me. Then, at last, I felt her little hand in mine. We walked like that until we reached my gate. I stooped down, looking her in the eye, saying, “I have to go now,” pointing to the gate. “I live here.” She looked at me, her little face very serious, her eyes still, thoughtful and intelligent. I noticed her boots had come untied, so handing her my Bible, I said, “hold this while I tie your shoe.” She let go of my hand and held my Bible. As I tied her lacings, I felt her little hand caress my hair, then my forehead, and I looked into her eyes and smiled. She held onto my shoulder as I finished and then I said, “I must go.” I looked slowly away from her to the eldest saying, “Now, walk a little slower so she can keep up with you.” She just stared at me, took the little hand in her own and they walked away. I watched them until they turned the corner, the four of them moving as one stair-stepped line.

Amy Robinson

Ciudad Juarez has gotten a lot of bad press recently, because of the turf war that’s going on between the drug cartels. When I’m in Cuidad Juarez, I see the troops throughout the streets, but I’ve never been directly affected by the violence, nor has anyone I spend time with. However, when I cross into El Paso, I hear “Aren’t you afraid to live over there?”

Every time I hear that question, I have a little involuntary shudder. I hear in it the unspoken belief that Mexico is in chaos, a belief that can keep us from acting as the kin we become in Christ.

One of my hopes, as I facilitate binational partnerships through Pasos de Fe, is to challenge that unspoken fear in a way that changes the way we understand and treat our neighbors to the South. I hope that by empowering Americans and Mexicans to share their lives with each other, even for just a week, we can begin to change the way Mexico is understood.

Ellen Smith

Appointed in 2001 to serve in Russia as coordinator of the congregational twinning project in Russia and Belarus, Ellen Smith had felt a longtime calling to the mission field. She and her husband, Alan, had talked about mission service as something to do “some day.”

Over the course of many years the Smiths participated in short-term mission trips from their home congregation and Ellen found a sense of completeness during those trips that she found nowhere else. And yet she wondered what she had to offer. She considers it a sign of God’s sense of humor that she ended up in the mission field and especially that she landed in Russia.

Her first trip to Russia was 10 years ago on a short-term mission trip for her home congregation. Two days before departure a personal crisis arose and Ellen wanted to cancel her trip. Nor her husband nor her pastor was prepared to listen so she boarded her flight and arrived in Russia without language skills and worried about the situation at home. In this unsettled frame of mind, she experienced the full force of the tumult in Russia. Nearly overwhelmed the first few days, she slowly emerged from her fog to recognize the deep strength of her brothers and sisters in Christ there. They had the same challenges that overwhelmed their neighbors, but they were able to face them with a deep and abiding trust in Christ, reaching beyond themselves to help those around them. Ellen’s own problems fell into perspective as she observed their trusting faith. However, upon returning home she said to Al, “Russia is a wonderful place to visit, but I could never live there.”

Today, Ellen finds it a privilege to work with Christians on both sides of the globe, as she works to connect Presbyterians in the United States in long-term partnerships with Baptists, Orthodox believers and Lutherans in Russia.

Dennis Smith

Working in Guatemala since 1977, I currently coordinate the Publications and Communications Training Program for the Central American Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies (CEDEPCA). I live in Guatemala City with my wife, Maribel, and two teen-age sons, Lucas and Benji.

Here are a few guidelines for the my care and feeding as I visit:
*I’m omnivorous. But since I am not going as often to the gym, as I do at home, please don’t feel the need to fatten me up. Black beans, fresh tortillas and chilies will be wonderful. However, I’m perfectly happy with leftover pizza or a burger and fries.

• I will bore you to tears with stories about my uniquely gifted Guatemalan wife and two sons. There will be pictures.
• My boss in Guatemala expects me to fulfill certain work obligations even while far away. So, whenever possible I’d appreciate an Internet connection now and then.
• I’m a bit of an Internet news junkie. You may come to think that my laptop has been surgically attached to the end of my arm. This is not true. Please forgive my frequent use as this is also how I keep in touch with my family and do my daily devotional reading.

I am grateful for the privilege of being able to share time and conversation with you. Mostly I’m thankful for the opportunity I have had to be of service to Jesus Christ and the PC(USA) these past 32 years.

The Rev. William Soldwisch serves on the binational mission team and is co-director of Pueblos Hermanos Presbyterian Border Ministry in Tijuana—San Diego. This ministry is one of six U.S.-Mexican Presbyterian collaborations of evangelism, new church development, community health and development, and mission education along our common border with Mexico (four along the Texas border and two along the Arizona border).

Chenoa Stock

Gratitude is a grounding word in describing my experience in Sri Lanka. Appointed in 2006, I work with non-profits, churches and grassroots organizations representing people from many diverse backgrounds. These organizations address issues of hunger and poverty.

I find that the experience of living in another culture cannot be easily described. I find myself, at times, in humorous situations, such as when I break into a sweat while eating a meal offered as just a “little” spicy. I am at a loss to describe the beauty of my surroundings: palm trees, beaches, tea estates, children and ancient ruins.

Mostly I have found that life in Sri Lanka and working with communities here has enabled me to see myself in a new light. The unfamiliar surroundings and work challenges have helped me hone new skills and I have grown in understanding the world and myself. It is these opportunities for growth and for living and working alongside Sri Lankans that I find myself most grateful.

Dave Thomas

My work as the PC(USA)’s regional liaison for Mexico takes me to the far-flung corners of that country. I serve as the link between our church and our partner denomination, the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.

Together with my wife, Susan, I work to encourage and develop long-term partnerships between the churches and presbyteries of our two countries. We also provide support to other PC(USA) mission personnel serving in Mexico and to PC(USA) congregations participating in Mission with our Mexican partners.

Previously Susan and I served for six years as the U.S. coordinators of Companeros en Mision, one of the six sites of Presbyterian Border Ministry.

I am a member of Presbyterian Community Church of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, which is part of the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks.

Before becoming a mission co-worker I worked in broadcast journalism and radio station management. I also had a career in marketing communications for a non-profit organization that operates two major conference and family centers.

After two years of public transportation in Mexico, I am thoroughly enjoying the freedom of a new motorcycle.

View a video of Dave Thomas

Susan Thomas

I currently serve in team ministry in Mexico with our partner denomination, the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico. My husband, Dave, and I served for six years on the U.S./Mexico border as U.S. coordinators for Companeros en Mision, one of the six local ministries of Presbyterian Border Ministry.

We live about sixty miles south of Mexico City, and work to encourage and to develop long-term partnerships between the churches and presbyteries of our two countries. We also provide support to all of the PC(USA) mission personnel serving in Mexico and to congregations involved in mission with our Mexico partners.

A member of Presbyterian Community Church of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado, I am a registered nurse. Before becoming a mission co-worker I spent 24 years in nursing, 14 of those working in a hospital emergency department.

When I am not traveling I begin each day with devotions while sitting on the balcony of my home in Cuernavaca, Morelos, listening to the matched pair of lovebirds who live there and enjoying the sunshine of the “city of eternal springtime.”

The Rev. Dr. Nuhad Tomeh

Nuhad Tomeh served with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) as an associate general secretary in charge of the relief and rehabilitation programs to Iraq and to Iraqi refugees. The effort is focused on relief supplies and assistance in rehabilitating schools, health care centers and other community centers. The MECC is the implementing partner of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and other partners.

Nuhad’s duties with MECC include strengthening ecumenical and international relations, which require him to represent MECC at international ecumenical meetings and with MECC partners. He is also involved in human resource development and funds development for the MECC. In addition, Nuhad is the regional liaison of the PC(USA) for Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and the Gulf.

The Rev. Dr. Esther Wakeman

The last thing I wanted to be growing up was a “missionary.” To my mind they were dorks who destroyed other cultures. However, God enticed me to Thailand, as a teacher NOT a missionary. I fell in love with Thailand and then with a Presbyterian “missionary,” who, it turns out, is a dork, but a delightful one. He fits nicely into Thai culture with his gentle, diplomatic way. And I am the actual dork because I’m so direct and unThai.

We share our passion for faith with Thai Christians who use dance, music, and drama to spread the good news of God’s love all over Thailand.
For Thais, face-saving and making sure one doesn’t upset others are highly valued qualities.

A few years ago I was invited to give a devotional at The Lamp (a Bible correspondence ministry), but I got mixed up and went to Voice of Peace (a radio ministry) instead. I arrived and told them that I was there to share. They warmly invited me in and politely listened to me. When I was finished there was a message for me to call The Lamp. I soon realized my mix-up. The Lamp graciously invited me for another occasion and I was stunned by my Thai friends’ capacity to instantly adapt to my error as if nothing were amiss and welcome me as if I were meant to be there.

Perhaps God has kept me in Thailand for 30 years because I still have much to learn about the gentle kindness of the Thai people.

Bruce Whearty

My wife, Lora, and I are elementary school teachers from Montana who felt a call to teach and work with teacher development overseas. PC(USA) assigned us to Vanuatu, a little island country in the South Pacific, as educational consultants. 

When I first arrived at our boarding school, the principal greeted me with, “You’re the new teacher from the United States! We are so happy to see you! Our year ten students have their national exams in three months, and they have not had an agriculture teacher all year. You start tomorrow!” I asked about curriculum and books and objectives. The reply was that there was nothing like that, but that the students were supposed to learn about how to grow food in the local gardens. “You’d better start with coconuts.”

So I walked into the classroom, introduced myself and told the students, “I’m from a place where it is very cold, and we cannot grow the same food that you grow here. I never even saw a coconut tree until last week! Now I’m supposed to teach you about tropical agriculture. Here’s what we’ll do: you teach me about coconuts and I’ll teach you how to pass your exam.”

Ten years later, I had the great joy of returning to the same school and teaching alongside some of my former students. After we had greeted each other and reached beyond the initial stage of politeness, they admitted that they remembered me as the worst agriculture teacher they had ever had. I said, “That’s probably true, but I know that you passed your exam. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be a teacher now!”

Sue Wright 

No one is more surprised than I am to find myself in mission service. If you had told me five years ago that I would be in mission service, I would have said that you were crazy!  Five years ago my husband Ted and I were settled happily into long-term ministry and an empty nest. I had a new, exciting and interesting career in social work. Africa was the last thing on my mind.

Today I find myself living a once-in-a lifetime experience, living in the African nation of Zambia. I regularly travel to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. Ted and I serve as regional liaisons for south-central Africa for the PC(USA). This calling could only have been designed by God.

While I teach at Justo Mwale Theological University College in Zambia, I also enjoy using my social work skills and my experience in nonprofit management.

Ted and I have two adult children: Bethany teaches at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and Dave is a recent graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary. 

The Rev. Ted Wright

As a boy, in the early days of color television, in the days of Sputnik and hapless Washington Senators, I vividly recall missionaries speaking at my church. The whole church turned out to hear them speak. I listened in amazement as I watched grainy slides of the work of those missionaries. They seemed to be God’s heroes, doing dangerous work in exotic locations, faithfully spreading the gospel. I felt that I could only dream of such work, of such a life.

And now, I find myself living that dream. I feel far from heroic but am proud to do the work of the Presbyterian Church in the world. I am just a pastor who answered the telephone and said yes! I am currently serving, along with my wife Sue, as PC(USA) regional liaisons for south-central Africa.

In looking back, I find that my life has paved the way to service in Southern Africa. First traveling to Africa in 1972, I went there on a State Department tour with the Amherst College Glee Club. This exposure to Africa helped me develop a fascination with the people, the landscape, the music and the prayer.

The path toward Africa continued as I took a missions class during my senior year at Princeton Seminary. Then, through years of ministry, as I matured and grew I came to understand that Christians around the world have as much to give as they have need. In 1995 this understanding became concrete as the church I was serving in Pennsylvania formed a partnership with a congregation in southern Zimbabwe.

While I enjoy learning new languages and eating the staple food made from cornmeal (known as nsima in Zambia), aspects of Africa can be challenging. I try to maintain a flexible attitude toward pit latrines, driving on the left and endless sermons. More difficult to tolerate are the mosquitoes, corrupt African leaders, dependency syndrome and Americans who complain.

Africa offers both challenges and opportunities. I also understand that Africa offers the Good News of Jesus to America and that America is the much tougher mission field.